Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1887-03-31
a STRANGE STORY.
The Curious Discovery Made By
ssTrapper Adam'' I'm the owl
Mountains.

The Curious Discovery NauC ny
ssTrapper Adam'' I'm the Owl
Mountains.
There is registered at one OF the Salt
Lake hotels man who is known through
out Northwestern Wyoming, as "Trapper
Adam"
For many years this man has made
the regions of the Big Horn and
Wind rivers mis- trapping and hunt
ing grounds, and the Owl, Rattlesnake
and Big Horn mountains have contribu-
ted many trophies to his rifle and traps.
"Trapper Adam" is here on visit to
some old time friends, and it was the
good fortune of DEMOCRAT scribe to
meet the old mountaineer last evening
and listen to a curious story from his
lips.
This story of an old hunters is also an
calculation of mystery that has long
puzzled old frOntiersmen OF Northwestern
Wyoming The Shoshone Indian reser-
walton is bounded on the north partly by
the Owl mountain range, the most rugged
and broken OF the many mountain chains
of the region. 1t has long been noticed
that twice every year, in the early spring
and in the fall, party of the most expert
enced hunters of the Shoshone tribe leave
the reservation agency and disappear in
the depths of the Owl mountains for ten
DAYS or two weeks.
These periodical hunting parties in
variably comes back empty handed, but
with empty ammunition pouches, and no
white man has ever been able to solve
the Indian mystery. Time and again at
tempts have been made to ascertain the
object of these hunts from the Indians
themselves but without avail. The
Shoshones have obstinately refused to
give any information whatever on the
subject.
Now the mystery is solved, however,
| and has been solved by ''Trapper Adam. "
| About month ago our trapper, seduced
| by spell of pleasant weather, left his
cabin in the foot hills of the Owl range,
| and started on a several days tramp into
| the mountains. At the close of a three
days tramp, "Trapper Adam" found
| himself in the entrance of narrow
mountain valley. This valley the trap
per had never seen before, it having es-
capped all of his prior mountain wander
ings.
He determined to explore his discovery
on the morrow, and camped for the night
in the entrance of the valley. The next
morning he began his explorations. He
found that the valley was both narrow
and deep. In fact it became in the course
of few miles travel, but a rugged
mountain seam into whose sombre and
frightful depths the light of heaven
could scarcely force its way.
And now the trapper noticed on the
rough and rugged bottom of the chasm
signs of former travel. Curious to know
who could have penetrated into this hid
den mountain recess, the trapper made a
close examination of the travel signs, and
soon convinced himself that they had been
made by Indians. Pushing on for
an hour or two longer, he suddenly saw
before him the sheer face of a lofty cliff.
The end of the hidden chasm had been
reached. Advancing to the foot Of the
wall, the trapper perceived some rude
steps carved in its perpendicular face,
and his eve followed these steps to the
opening in the cliff high above.
He at once began the ascent, and soon
reached the opening to which the rude
staircase led. Here singular sight met
his gaze. The opening in the cliff was a
cave of huge dimensions, and in this
cave, seated around fire on the rock
floor was an Indian bent nearly double
with the burden of years. The SHOWS OF
| over hundred winters had fallen on his
head. Astonished beyond meas
ure, '"Trapper Adam" entered
| the cave, and spoke to its
aged occupant. The venerable red man,
however, was deaf from age, and heard
him not. He, however, tottered to his
world weary feet, and exhibited a lively
apprehension of the intruding white man.
The trapper looked about the cave, and
saw that the rear portion of it was hung
with dried meats. By signs we'll known
to his experience, he recognized Shoshone
handiwork in various articles scattered
about the cave. 1t all at once flashed
upon his mind that here was the ex-
PLANTATION of the mysterious hunting
| parties of the Shoshone Indians. Spring
and fall the Shoshones killed game for
this aged one, and prepared it for his use
by smoking it. Meditating on what
he had seen the trapper descended
the dizzy stairway, the last glimpse into
the aerial cavern disclosing the old Sho-
shone in the same crouching attitude
over his fire in which he had been dis
covered.
| Who this Shoshone relic is, and why
| he is kept thus secluded and cared for,
are still mysteries. 1t is said that the